Dinner Discussion

After I met with King Larfal, I went back to my family manor, but before I went to my carriage, Aunt Hyrmr stopped me and asked me if I wanted to have dinner with her. I politely refused her offer because I didn't want to disturb her job, but she insisted on doing so, and she already had King Larfal's permission.

"Okay, Aunt Hyrmr, I am in your care."

"Good, I will bring you to the best restaurant here, Oberon. When will you leave Alf Royal Forest?"

"Hm, my mother told me I can spend time here at least 3 or 4 days after I arrive here; that means 2 days left before I come back to Wishe Forest."

"Then, is there any place that you want to visit?"

"I would like to visit the royal library, Aunt Hyrmr."

"You really are a bookworm, as your mother said. Sure, you can visit that place; I will notify the keeper to give you access."

"Thank you, Aunt Hyrmr, and please tell me about Mother. I'm just a bit curious to know about Aunt Hyrmr and Mother's past."

"Sure, let's go then, Oberon. I will tell you inside the carriage... And you don't want to bring Orstrid with you?"

Then I took my seat inside the carriage with Aunt Hyrmr on the opposite side.

"Sure, I need to go back to the manor first to put King Larfal's present first, and at the same time, I will pick up Orstrid. It's a bit awkward to carry this box around."

Then the carriage started to move.

"Then I will start telling the story about when I met your mother and father. It was about 130 years ago. I met your mother. She is still as young as you are. She was a talented mage, so I took her under my wing. Then I..."

Then Aunt Hyrmr told me a story of my mother's past: every Elven noble capable of casting magic must start to train at an early age because, because of the Elven race's lower population, we were always short on manpower. Because of our location, we are always targeted by other kingdoms like Rakia, the Empire, and the Dwarven Kingdom.

They always try to invade the Elven Kingdom because they know that before they can take Alv Mountain, they need to invade and conquer the Elven Kingdom. Because of the rich mineral content inside the mountain, all the greediest kingdoms try to lay their hands on it. The problem is, it's impossible that the Elven people will let them mine the mountain because the water that feeds the secret tree that keeps this kingdom flourishing is from that mountain. Without the clean water from Alv Mountain, the secret tree will starve to death.

It's been a long battle of attrition. At first, it was one-sided; the Elven races always prevailed because of our magic capability, but all that changes when the god and goddess descend to the Gekai World and give blessings to the mortals, making them stronger and more resilient than normal people, making the battle start to consume some casualties from our side. Because of that, many of the Elven people hate the gods because of their selfishness, which makes the Elven race suffer because all they wanted was just 'entertainment'.

"Your mother and your father meet when your mother gets kidnapped by the soldiers of the empire; they try to use her as a ransom to put pressure on the noble sides. I can't do anything to save your mother because I was fighting the advance force of the Dwarven Kindom and the Empire, but your father managed to track her down and save her, and then they are married and you are born."

"I see. I don't know why Mother doesn't tell me that our homeland has such a problem."

"Probably she doesn't want you to carry the burden of our people, but now you can't avoid that truth because you went outside the forest... So be strong, Oberon; we don't know how long we can hold our ground. But when I meet you and hear the story about you from your mother, I know that you will become our people's hope."

"It's heavy, but when I was born as a noble, my fate was already being decided. I need time to learn and grow my strength, and I need to find a way to stop them from ever trying to invade us. The problem is that the Elven Kingdom doesn't have any real allies and has such hatred toward the outside world that it's almost impossible—ouch, what's that for, Aunt Hyrmr? That hurt."

When I hold my red forehead, I can see Aunt Hyrmr's worried expression.

"Oberon, let the King and the Adult handle that matter; now all you need to pay attention to is to become stronger. Don't tell me that you forgot your reason for going outside the forest. I want you to have your adventure and gain experience, so please, Oberon, don't forget your reason or you will get stranded."

"I understand, but I promise Aunt Hyrmr, I will find a way to solve this problem. After all, this kingdom was my home and the place where I was born. I will not let it burn down or get invaded by the greedy bastard."

'After all, I remember how it feels when you don't have a place to go back to... I don't want to lose my family ever again.'

See, the determination in my words makes Aunt Hyrmr worried about the path she has put him on, but she understands Oberon will never back down from his word.

"*sigh* I will make sure to protect this place until you are strong enough and your mother and father think the same. Now forget about the heavy stuff. Now!! I will tell you everything your mother told me about, including the embarrassing one."

"Aunt Hyrmr Please have mercy."

She just smiles and says, 'Everything' starts with my childhood and my earth-made doll.

  ----

Then we arrive at the elevator, and Orstrid is already expecting our arrival. When she saw me, she was worried because my face was so red.

"Master, did something happen?"

"N-no, nothing at all. Orstrid, don't ask Aunt Hyrmr what happened."

She just nodded, and then I went to the elevator to the manor, put the box in the safe place, changed my clothes, and went back.

I have been told by Aunt Hyrmr that the Alf Royal Forest population is not so dense; there are about half a thousand people who live here. Most of the people who live here work as farmers or hunters, but there is not much land that needs to be cultivated. Most food is abandoned for fruit, vegetables, fish, and animals to hunt thanks to the water and the secret tree's natural energy, which makes the Elven Kingdom forest soil so fertile. Of course, the Elven Kingdom does trade with a neighboring country that is not hostile, and thanks to that, we have salt and other spices that are not available in this territory.

There is a trader that can come and visit this forest from outside the territory, but it's really restricted to some special area where the elven trader and the outside trader can trade their gods. Sadly, when I ask if there are any blacksmiths in this kingdom, Aunt Hyrmr says there are none because the waste produced by the workshop makes Elven people refuse such practices; they prefer to buy a weapon from neighboring countries or kingdoms rather than make it themselves.

Aunt Hyrmr told me that Riveria is now living in Orario, and she's already joined one Familia led by the goddess Loki. A familia is a group of people, most of whom are adventurers, that have been blessed by a god or goddess. You can tell they are part of a familia from the tattoo on their back. In exchange for such a blessing, the mortal must obey and follow the god's or goddess's orders and never betray them. With the blessing of the gods and goddesses called 'Falna', a Falna gains superhuman physical prowess upon being bestowed with it and can gather Excelia from killing monsters or from training. Thanks to that, they can raise their status and level to grow stronger.

'Hm, it's like a video game equivalent to XP; you need to kill monsters to level up, but for that, I need to join Familia, and I know not all gods are evil; my encounter with Goddess Freya makes me rethink my biases against them, but still... I need to be cautious about the Familia I chose.

"You don't need to be worried, Oberon; you can join any Familia, but make sure to be careful, god or goddess; some gods like to cause chaos and suffering to other people. From what I heard from Riveria, a god's or goddess's character is influenced by their divinity; for example, Goddess Loki has the divinity of a trickster."

"Trickster …. Does that mean Loki is an evil god, Aunt Hyrmr?"

"I think she is not, as long as you are not on her bad side, Riveria said. She really does care about her Familia members, including Riveria, but still, she has some bad habits because of her divinity. She likes to scheme and prank, but never to the point of hurting her children. Oh yes, I forgot, almost every god thinks their Familia members are their children."

"Ah, I see..."

Then the carriage stops moving.

"We are arriving, Hymr-sama, Oberon-sama."

When I went outside the horse carriage, I could see the restaurant; its name was Alvus Restaurant. It's a three-story building made of wood with Scandinavian architecture and a sod roof; it's almost like a tree house, with a beautifully decorated wooden staircase. When I opened the door, we were welcomed by two beautiful elf waiters.

"Welcome Hyrmr-sama, Oberon-sama, and Orstrid-sama to Alvus restaurant."

"Well, I already sent a notice that we would come here. The third floor is empty, so we can talk in private. There are so many things that I want to discuss."

I nodded and followed the waiters to the third floor. There is an octagonal table with a green chair, and then I take a seat with Orstrid, who always stands behind me.

"Orstrid, there is no need to be alert. None will dare to harm me."

"As your command, master Oberon,"

Then she sits beside me.

"Okay now, Oberon There is a paper there; it's the menu list. Choose what you like. After that, we can talk."

"Hm, I think I will let Aunt Hyrmr choose for me. I don't know what the best menu is, but for the drink, I will choose Elaith flower tea with ice. For Orstrid, she chooses the same as me."

"Sure, waiters, I want 3 and 4, and the drink is 1 Whyne and 2 Elath flowers tea with ice."

When the young, yellow-haired elf waiter writes the order, I can see her stealthily glance a bit at me. When our eyes meet, she quickly bows and leaves. As we waited for the food, I looked out the big windows and saw the beautiful city that was surrounded by trees and crystal-clear rivers and lakes. It was already afternoon, making the river show a gold-like color.

"I just can't stop seeing and marveling at how beautiful this city is." Without realizing it, I said what was on my mind.

"Fufufufu, indeed, this city is beautiful, and that is one of the reasons I will fight to protect it until my last breath."

'There is nothing more terrifying than having no place to call home.'

In the past, I lost my home, my family, myself, and my happiness. I don't want to lose it again, but if I must, I will become strong enough that if they say my name, all my enemies will be struck by fear like Orsted was. I have already become the strongest person I know, especially in magic, and I already train my body every day and spar with Orstrid. All I need now is a good sword.

"I still wonder, Oberon, did you want to be a mage or a swordsman? From what your mother told me every day in the morning, you started by training your body strength."

"I chose both Aunt Hyrmr and myself because I fear that I will face an enemy that is immune to magic attacks, so I try to be both a swordsman and a mage, but of course, I will not neglect my magic training. Mother taught me well when I was still a child, but now she already teaches me every spell that our family had, and my father already teaches me everything I need to be a good leader."

"Ara~ you are indeed a weird high elf. Most of the elves chose magic and bows instead of swinging a sword. They are too proud of themselves and think their magic can defeat anyone without knowing that they are living inside a small pond and don't know or ignore how strong other races can be. *sigh* I hope all Elven people think openly as you do, Oberon."

"Well, it's scary to imagine that I am surrounded by people who think the same as I do. I know that before everything is changed, the war or a dispute between kingdoms or countries needs to be solved first."

I can see Aunt Hyrmr agreed with my statement. After 10 minutes of waiting, the food that we ordered finally arrived: Elas (elven forest rice is twice as big and has some sweat and a better taste) with grilled meat and spices on top of it and cold flower tea.

"Come on, eat it; don't just look at it."

Then I taste the Elas. If you ask me to rate the Elas on my rice rank, then I put it on the B+ rank, but if you make fried rice with it, it will be an A with the right spices, of course. The meat was pretty well cooked if I am guessing it was goat meat.

"Fuuuu, thanks for the meal. Aunt Hyrmr?"

I can see her keeping silent and thinking about something.

"Uh, oh, yeah, sorry, I just thought about something. Now that we are finished eating, I want to discuss something with you."

I can say this is a serious matter because I can say that Aunt Hyrmr's serious expression and the heavy atmosphere envelop the room.

"What did you know about the one-eyed black dragon Oberon?"

"Hm, from what I read, the one-eyed black dragon was the strongest creature that escaped the dungeon a thousand years ago. When that dragon lingers outside the world, it brings chaos and suffering to the people. After thousands of years of suffering, one hero brave enough to try to take down that dragon's name was 'Albert Waldstein. With his party, they only managed to injure that dragon's one eye, which is when the dragon gets the nickname One-Eyed Black Dragon. From what I heard, that dragon is still lingering in the Gekai world. Last time I heard that dragon destroyed or wiped one kingdom out of existence in one night, That's all I know, Aunt Hyrmr."

"Indeed, all your knowledge was true, and still there are a few gaps, but I know you realize how dangerous that dragon is, but still you said to King Larfal that you want to defeat that monster, which means you already have your plan on how to take that monster down."

"Yes, Aunt Hyrmr, I did have one, but it was not yet visible. I still did not know that dragon's capability for that. Whatever plan I had, it was just a plan. To make my plan more visible, I need more information."

"That is true, Oberon; after thousands of years, we still do not know how to defeat that monster yet, but there is news from Riveria that Zeus and Hera Familia will start to prepare the hunt for the one-eyed black dragon, and she said they already slew Behemoth and Leviathan."

Behemoth, Leviathan, and One-Eyed Black Dragon are categorized by the Gekai people as three calamity monsters that were born from a dungeon, then escape from the dungeon in their wake and cause chaos on the surface.

"That means there is a high chance that they will succeed, but somehow I can tell that Aunt Hyrmr is not so confident about their chance to succeed. Can I ask why?"

"Yes, it is true that I am not so confident about their chance to win the fight. Quen Celdia was the ruler before King Larfal's reign. She was the most powerful high elf that ever walked in Gekai, and she was fighting alongside Albert Waldstein, but she failed and died alongside others because of her death. Chaos followed on the Elven Kingdom border because our enemies were emboldened by the death of Quen Celdia. I don't know that Zeus and Hera's children can be compared to the party of Albert and Celdia. So in case anything goes wrong, all the kingdoms and countries start to buff up their defenses, so I advise you, Oberon, to be careful and prepared for whatever happens."

I just nodded in agreement. I will protect my home and family at whatever cost. Maybe I am done losing my loved one.

"Thank you, Aunt Hyrmr, for the information. I will tell Father to buff the defense and patrol."

"Good, the Royal Library can provide you with any information you need for your journey when you leave 4 years from now. For the equipment, your mother and father have already prepared everything, so all you need to do is train and learn the outside world's information."

Then She stood up and left the table, and before she left the room, she told me that if I wanted to talk with her again, I should just send a notice to one of the guards and suggest that before visiting the Royal Library, I must go to the secret tree first. When I asked why, she just told me that it is important to be familiar with the life energy that the secret tree radiates.

"I understand, Aunt Hymr, and thank you for the food; it's delicious."

Then she went out the door while waving her hand.

"Orstrid, we are going back to the manor."

'I wonder what I could find in the Royal Library.'

----

After spending two days in Royal Alf Forest, I went back to Wishe Forest. It was already noon, but Wishe people were welcoming my return from the Royal Alf Forest.

'Home sweet home.'

After the full days, I spent in the Royal Library, I learned new spells and how to better implement my Wishe blessing, and I now know how to make a better magic circle, the best material for my future magic armor, and crucial information about gods, geography, and monsters.

Three and a half years before I leave my home, I will build a secret basement where I will draw a teleport magic circle in case there is an emergency situation when I go far away from home.

"Welcome back, Oberon-sama! Thank you for the hard work!"

That's all I heard when I passed the busy district. I just couldn't help but smile and wave at my people. After the fight in the fortress, many of Wishe's people started to admire and spread the word about me, and my ability was already recognized by King Larfal himself. It made the people of Wishe Forest hopeful about the future.

After I arrived at the front gate of my house, I was welcomed by the guard and my mother, who was waiting with the housemaid. I then went out of the carriage while Otstrid was by my side holding the box.

"Welcome home, Oberon and Orstrid."

Then I give Mother a quick hug.

"I am home, Mother."

"Come inside; you are probably hungry and tired from your journey. I hope you can tell me all that happened during your visit."

"Sure, Mother."

Then I went inside the house, and there was already food on the dinner table. After finishing the food, I had a chat with Mother about my journey to Royal Alf Forest.

Of course, I told her about Aunt Hyrmr, when she trains and teaches me about her magic, and the time I had an audience with King Larfal. When I said that King Larfal gave me a gift as a gesture of gratitude for accepting his request to assist and protect Riveria, my mother showed an expression of worry and relief. Then I told her about the gift, which was King Larfal's own green robe that he wore when he was young.

"Can I see Robe Oberon?"

I just nodded and opened the box, let the maid hold it, and showed it to Mother.

"There is no mistaking [sigh] how you got into Oberon. Then what happened after that?"

After that, I told Mother about Aunt Hyrmr's warning that danger was to come. My mother told me she had already alerted me, which is why Father is now patrolling and checking the barrier and the ward. After dinner with my mother, she told me to take a rest, and she had already prepared my room and Orstrid. Of course, my room and Orstrid's were separate because my mother insisted so.

When I lay in bed, I still think about the king's request to become a guard. I remember my past second life when I spent more than a year with Eris and the Boreas family before the teleport incident. Everything was so peaceful. It makes me feel anxious about when or if the turning point will happen.

"No, you are not Rudeus Greyrat anymore, and you are not as careless and weak as he is. I will make sure not to repeat the same mistake."

After examining my plan book and looking for any holes that might jeopardize my progress, I realized one problem.

"Riveria is right now in Orario City. I know she is not alone, but OEBD poses a danger. I should ask Mother and Father about this, but *Hoam* I think I am too tired. Maybe the next day I will start asking them."

Then I turn off the magic lamp and fall asleep.